California Republicans have written to President Donald Trump to investigate their state’s high-speed rail system.

The project, which is the largest of its kind in the U.S., was branded a “colossal failure” by Republicans.

Newsweek contacted the California High-Speed Rail Authority for a response to the letter.

Why It Matters

Despite recent construction progress, California’s high-speed rail project has suffered from several delays and a ballooning budget. President Trump has already been critical of the project, calling it a “waste” and a “green disaster.” The letter could be the final tipping point in his new administration taking action.

What to Know

18 Republican lawmakers from California have formally expressed support for President Donald Trump’s recent decision to investigate the project.

In a letter, sent on February 13, the state legislators, emphasized the necessity of scrutinizing the project’s feasibility and holding the California High-Speed Rail Authority (HSRA) accountable.

“Promised to be completed by 2020 with a price tag of $34 billion, HSRA’s projected budget ballooned to over $128 billion,” the letter reads.

“Voters were told that more than 20 percent of the project would be privately funded. Instead, taxpayers face the reality of single-handedly funding massively inflated costs for a project that many will never use or see completed.

“The HSRA has spent $13.7 billion in total, including $1.6 billion on professional marketing materials and consultants. The only partially completed segment so far connects a field and an orchard and has cost $1.4 billion for 22 miles of raised dirt; along with 11 overpass structures. Zero feet of track have been laid to date.

“By all metrics, the High-Speed Rail is a colossal failure.”

This correspondence follows a critical report issued earlier this month by the project’s Inspector General, which highlighted significant delays in the construction of the rail segment between Merced and Bakersfield, casting doubt on the project’s ability to meet its 2033 completion target.

Furthermore, the report noted that the HSRA had not conducted a comprehensive risk analysis to assess whether its plans for this segment were “realistic and achievable.”

In response to the letter, a spokesperson for the California High-Speed Rail Authority told Newsweek: “To date, 171 miles of the high-speed rail project are under design and active construction, more than 14,600 high-quality jobs have been created, and more than 880 small businesses are engaged on the project.

“Of approximately $13 billion spent on the project, $10.5 billion have been funded exclusively by the State of California (not “hundreds of billions”) and those expenditures have created over $22 billion in economic impact, largely in California’s Central Valley communities.

“The majority of the approximately 500-mile system from San Francisco to Los Angeles is fully environmentally cleared and stand shovel-ready for future phases of investment to complete a high-speed rail system that embodies the very best of what California represents – a willingness to dream big, to take on challenges, and to lead the way for the rest of the nation and the world.

“Every dollar of the project is accounted for and has been thoroughly reviewed by the independent Office of the Inspector General (OIG). The OIG’s sole focus is improving oversight and accountability of the California high-speed rail project by conducting independent, objective reviews and investigations of the High-Speed Rail Authority’s planning, delivery, and operation.”

What People Are Saying

California Governor Gavin Newsom, at a Kern County launch event in January: “No state in America is closer to launching high-speed rail than California—and today, we just took a massive step forward. We’re moving into the track-laying phase, completing structures for key segments, and laying the groundwork for a high-speed rail network.”

President Donald Trump told reporters: “One of the things I want to investigate rapidly, because I’ve never seen anything to this extent, is the train that’s being built between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

“It is the worst managed project I think I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen some of the worst. Billions and billions, hundreds of billions of dollars over budget.

“I read that you can take every single person that was going to go on the train and get the finest limousine service in the world, take them back and forth and you would have hundreds of billions of dollars leftover.

“It is the worst thing and we are going to start an investigation because it’s not possible. I’ve built for a living and I build on time and on budget. It’s impossible that something could cost that much.”

What Happens Next

In 2025, the California High-Speed Rail Authority is planning to begin construction on stations in the Central Valley. The first high-speed rail services in California are expected to start after 2030, with the full route aiming to be operational by 2050.

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